


90s Diet Coke

by Sugasvolleyball



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: 90's Diet Coke AU, Alternate Universe - Office, First Meetings, I made a Jesus joke too, I'm Sorry, Inspired by the 90's diet coke ad, Like, M/M, So many ships, Some bad words but not alot, There's swearing, You've been warned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-23
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-10 16:01:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7851763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sugasvolleyball/pseuds/Sugasvolleyball
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oikawa and his co-workers are peacefully going about their day, but everything is put on hold the minute word gets round about the builders outside and their 11:30 break.</p><p>This was totally inspired by Pussycat-scribbles on tumblr, her 90's diet coke au and anyone who put in head-canons! This book is for you guys. Thank you so much!<br/>(Rated teen and up for swearrrsss but that is all)</p><p>[ON HOLD due to personal problems, will update super soon!]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

His job as secretary requires him to do various things, from planning meetings to filling in for interviews. But best of all, Oikawa likes picking up Mr. Ushijima’s phone calls.

“Hello there- name’s Oikawa Tooru and you better remember it-how can I hel-“  
“Darling, how can I help yo-“  
“How-How can I be of service, sugarplu-GODDAMIT,“

Today seemed to be a bit different, though. His _extremely_ charming voice was being overtaken by some very noisy neighbors; construction workers, to be precise. The worst and rudest kind of neighbors, in Oikawa’s opinion. They would make crashes and clangs and use machines that were far too loud for Tooru’s gentle ears, and Oikawa absolutely resented them. Why couldn’t they just build things in a graceful manner? It wasn’t hard.

“HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BE THE CUTE SECRETARY IF I KEEP BEING INTERRUPTED?!” Oikawa shrieked, gaining the attention of the entire office behind him, his hands flinging his paperwork in the air in desperation. These outbursts were frequent, and everyone who worked in Oikawa’s unit was clearly used to them by now, even finding his rage humorous at times. It wasn’t that Tooru got angry often, he was just very nit-picky about how he liked to work, if anything a bit critical. However, whenever Tooru seemed to be more agitated than usual, it resulted in only more teasing from his subordinates, Makki and Mattsun, who worked in their own joint office far below the secretary’s office. Oikawa’s large secretary room was placed at the very front of the building. On the thirteenth and top floor, much to his demand, with the front wall covered top to bottom in glass. It gave him a view of the street, and now a view of the repulsive construction site outside. “The next time I get cut off by those builders outside, I’m going to file a complaint to Mr Ushijima! This will be the last time they disturb me!” He proposed, folding his arms with an expression that practically screamed “ _I am a genius! Praise me!_ ”

“What, like when you filed a complaint about not having ‘Beauty breaks’?” Mattsun said with every shred of sarcasm in his tone while appearing at Oikawa’s open door, leaning against the entrance.

“Or that demand for mint tea dispensers in every office?” Makki continued, only making Oikawa roll his eyes in response. Sometimes the secretary wondered why he hadn’t fired these two already, but at heart he knew they were efficient workers. Apart from that, they didn’t have anything going for them- other than their unearthly skill at quick and witty replies. The pair absolutely loved to annoy Oikawa, there was nothing greater to them than seeing pure frustration on other people’s faces. And when it came to Tooru, he was a painfully easy target, and it wasn’t as though he would fire either of them anyway. So why not have fun with it?

“Because, I mean, those really worked, didn’t they?” Kuroo chided, ironically sipping from a cup of mint tea mentioned previously. He had walked in, past all the office workers at their desks without speaking a word, making these appearances so often that nobody really chose to question it anymore. In fact, it wasn’t only Kuroo who strolled into the unit like it was his second home. Ushijima’s building acted as a central office; he was the boss of a huge company that required several buildings to operate. The building directly across from Ushijima’s was monitored by Akaashi, and the one on the right by Tsukishima. There was a vacant office to Ushijima’s left, making it a square of offices connected by it’s workers and one company. Everyone had connections between the three places, and this bigger building almost acted as a meeting point for all the employees. Mainly Oikawa’s office was used, though, as he was always open to visitors in exchange for gossip. Although, the center of the square, previously a park, was now overtaken by a building site that overtook all noise in the area.

“No- I mean it- like, look, you got mint tea for days here. Akaashi would never allow that over in my building,” Kuroo sighed, scratching the back of his neck out of habit. He brushed past Makki and Mattsun who almost blocked the doorway together, allowing himself to crash down onto the pure-white sofa with a dramatic second sigh. The entirety of Oikawa’s space was actually fitted with modern furniture, but Tooru’s tackiness came through with his silly decorations, varying from a large mirror to his single and only, pink-feathered, glittery pen. “But besides that, Ushijima’s not really good for much else but allowing Oikawa’s requests. At least Akaashi is actually normal,” Makki stated, almost discouraged by his own statement. It was obvious enough that Ushijima would do almost anything to keep Oikawa as his secretary, though the reasons behind it all were still a bit blurry for most who didn’t know him properly.

“What are you even doing here, Kuroo? As secretary of your building, shouldn’t you be taking your job seriously? I heard Akaashi has taken a liking to Yaku recently, too- Better watch yourself,” It was Oikawa’s turn to tease, now, as he giggled mischievously, tapping the vibrant pen to his lips while watching Kuroo. Everyone in the three buildings knew, no matter how new you were to the system, that Oikawa was the gossip _king_. Nothing interesting could happen without Tooru knowing within twenty-four hours, no matter how secretive you were about it. And having a gossip buddy, the secretary of the building across the street, really helped boost his ego.

  
“I just thought I’d pop in- though really you know I’m just here for the mint tea. Stuff’s good.” Kuroo admitted, heaving himself off of the sofa suddenly before making his way to the door. Makki and Mattsun seemed to have left long ago, clearly silently, as the two hadn’t even noticed their disappearance till now. They were most likely somewhere else, playing a prank on another unsuspecting businessman. “I guess you’re right, though. I’ll head out, this job pays pretty well, after all. Can’t be fired just yet,”

“Wait, wait, Kuroo-”  
“Yeah?”  
“Gossip?” Oikawa asked in curious demand, a smile tugging at his lips as he placed his pen down onto the desk, locking onto Kuroo’s gaze. That one word was like a trade object for the secretary. Suddenly, the weight under Kuroo’s body seemed to shift, and his entire body felt heavy by just standing in the room. This was a familiar feeling people got when receiving that look from Tooru. He was practically evil. In truth, this was why Ushijima had been so persistent on hiring him. Oikawa could be incredibly manipulative, with his words, actions and his stare alone. Nothing could tear away from his grasp once he had settled on a goal, and right now he wanted information. This was the true power of Oikawa as a secretary, and Ushijima wanted to utilize it as much as possible. Kuroo could just feel Tooru’s eyes on him, as though it could see right through his every move, right through every available lie he could deploy.

“Let me think…Nothing much has happened lately- Oh, but I did hear Tsukishima talk about that construction site the other day- y’know, the one out front that you were whining about earlier. Apparently they’re gonna be here for a good while,” Kuroo spoke, while walking towards the glass and pointing at the large, contained box full of people, materials and cranes directly in front of the three office buildings. Lorries were driving in and out of an open gate, causing immense traffic on the already-busy road. His eyes glazed over the site, it didn’t even look like they’d even started. It made Kuroo chuckle a little, mainly at the devastation creeping up on the other secretary’s face. At this, Oikawa groaned, his hands held together while resting his chin on them gently. “They’re nothing but trouble- I’ll write an email to Mr Ushijima now, I want them gone right away.” Kuroo turned around and laughed at how impatient Oikawa could be, and the scowl on his face. Placing his empty cup on Oikawa’s desk and walking out with a wave, Kuroo spoke while departing with a grin, “Let me know how it goes!”

“Mhmm, will do- WAIT, TAKE YOUR DIRTY CUP YOU-“

* * *

  
“Dear Mr. Wakatoshi, ヾ(＾∇＾)  
COULD YOU PLEASE TELL THESE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS TO MOVE? ME, THE BELOVED SECRETARY OIKAWA, IS NOW STRUGGLING TO BE AS CUTE AS CAN BE, BECAUSE THEIR MACHINERY IS ALWAYS INTERRUPTING ME!!!!!!! TELL!!! THEM!! TO!! LEAVE!! ノಠ_ಠノ  
Thank you (◕‿◕✿)  
Your Secretary Oikawa ~~~~

* * *

 

“Oikawa! How are you? It’s been a few days since we last spoke!” Sugawara greeted his gossip buddy warmly over the phone, twiddling the phone cord around his nimble finger loosely. Sugawara was the kind and cheery secretary of Tsukishima’s building, a good worker who was consistent at his job and respectable in the workplace. He was bright and always smiling, so much so that just looking at him good cheer up any bad mood. Oikawa had even go so far as to nick-name him “ _Mr Refreshing,_ ” which was now a common name used throughout the work-place. But on the side he was also an incredible source of gossip, and worked well with Oikawa to get the scoops on basically anyone. Together, as a duo, they were an invincible force, and definitely a pair not to be reckoned with. Challenge one, and you challenge both.

“KOU-CHAN YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE THIS-“ Oikawa shouted down the phone, staring at the computer in front of him as though it were lying to his very face. He had logged in and out of his email account several times to be sure, refreshed the page too many times to count, and even restarted his computer at one point. But no, the writing on the screen remained the same. Sugawara had to move the phone away from his ear after the sudden outburst, not expecting his voice to be that loud- his ears were almost ringing. “THOSE WORKERS OUTSIDE HAVE BEEN SO TERRIBLY NOISY, SO I ASKED USHIJIMA TO GET RID OF THEM! RIGHT?”

“Right..?” Sugawara nodded along, unsure of where this was actually going, but either way Oikawa’s outrage was absolutely hilarious, and Koushi found himself muffling laughter with his spare hand. Usually, he would continue filing through paper work while paying some attention to the other’s ramblings, but this time Sugawara had his full attention on the phone-call. He even peered outside his window, locating Tooru’s office, finding himself grinning at Oikawa’s hands flailing and gestures as he spoke. On Sugawara’s desk were the neat stacks of paperwork he was supposed to be organizing, but that was usually put off until Tsukishima needed it.

“BUT GUESS WHAT HE SAID? No wait I’ll tell you- HE SAID NO! I’M SO MAD! THEY KEEP MESSING UP MY CALLS AND MY WORK AND HIS LAME EXCUSE IS THAT THEY WORK FOR HIM TOO!”

“O-Oh, well, I don’t think there’s much you can do about that, Tooru-kun,” Sugawara mumbled, almost in an apologetic tone. He, too, had been disrupted several times by their work. But in all honesty, Sugawara didn’t really mind. Because their building was just that little bit further away, the noise was slightly quieter. The machines that were actually making the noise were on Oikawa’s side of the street, after all. “Why don’t you shut your windows?” He suggested in an attempt to bring back any sort of good mood.

“MY ENTIRE WALL IS MY WINDOW, KOU-CHAN, THE ENTIRE WALL,” The secretary hissed down the phone, almost seething with rage. At this point, Sugawara had to let a little giggle slip before clasping his hand straight back onto his mouth, which only made Oikawa feel worse. Sugawara was someone Oikawa found easy to confide in, but this time around Koushi wasn’t helping at all. “SUGAWARA! THIS ISN’T FUNNY!” He yelled, distressed, as though saying it any louder would get his point across better. Oikawa met Sugawara’s look through the glass, crossing his legs on his chair. “Fine, you know what?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m going to tell them myself! I’m going down there, right now, to make them leave! If Ushijima won’t do it, this beauty of a secretary will!” Oikawa said confidently, slamming down the phone and standing up. Sugawara watched the man in the stripey, collared shirt stand up abruptly and walk around his desk. He flipped off Sugawara while leaving his room, making the silver-haired secretary snort with laughter and almost drop the phone in his hand. Koushi put the phone back in it’s holder to be sure that he didn’t break it. He recalled a similar situation a few months back, where Oikawa had made him laugh so hard he had dropped the phone and broke it while in hysterics. Tsukishima had almost charged him for it, but Sugawara had convinced him otherwise. Leaving his chair to get a proper look out the window, Sugawara couldn’t suppress his grin with anticipation. Only five minutes later he could see the brunette storming out of the glass doors, onto the street and on his way to cross the road.

Tooru looked up, and sure enough, Sugawara was there watching. He sighed, it was a surprisingly hot day today, the kind of day where you could almost see the heat radiating off of the road if you looked close enough. Summer wasn’t here just yet; the heat was certainly unexpected. The entirety of the office buildings were fitted with air-con too, so Oikawa hadn’t actually noticed until now, and he immediately regretted his decisions of even stepping a foot outside.The sun seemed to be burning up his entire body, his cheeks were already red from heat and he could feel small clusters of sweat begin to form. Rolling up his sleeves as some sort of short-term solution, Oikawa slid easily in between the rows of cars stalled in traffic, now faced with the small wooden fence that bordered the construction zone. Ever since the installation of the construction site, the traffic in the road only seemed to worsen with all the cargo being filed in and out. The fence wasn’t that tall and was extremely make-shift, it when up to about Oikawa’s shoulders, so he could still see above it easily. His feet pounded against the floor as he walked, hearing several hammers and drills being used near him.

Oikawa swung open the gate for employees, storming straight towards the nearest person he could find. They all seemed to look the same, wearing baggy trousers, most shirtless due to the weather, yellow hard hats and some variation of trainers or boots. The gate creaked under his hand, and Tooru wasn’t even bothered to shut it behind him as he walked quickly, not really concerned about anything else. The floor was extremely dry, it almost felt sandy as he traversed across it with several huffs and puffs.

“Sir? If you’re going to come storming in here with a face like that you definitely need to be wearing a hard hat,”

A low and stern voice from behind the secretary cooed with a charming grin, accompanying a small grip on the collar of Oikawa’s shirt. Tooru spun around and met the man’s gaze, both startled and embarrassed from being told off. His eyes met the anonymous man’s, and he had to suppress a small gasp of admiration from escaping his lips. The stranger was sparkling, dazzling, absolutely glimmering. Oikawa couldn’t tell if it was the heat or his own flush, but his entire body felt a new kind of sickly warm and he couldn’t seem to find his breath anymore. Cheeks and ears skyrocketing a new shade of pink, he could only stand there for mere seconds just staring. The man’s face was terribly attractive, claiming the kind of unvoiced, strong expression that made our Oikawa melt on the spot. It was a different kind of beautiful, this man was more handsome than anyone Tooru had seen in the thousands of beauty magazines he had read. And oh god, when his eyes traveled downwards, comprehending a bare, slightly tanned chest, scattered sweat and.. Was that a nipple piercing? Oikawa gulped, feeling absolutely numb, his feet were planted on the ground like roots. “Sir? Why are you here? You can’t just walk in so suddenly,” The builder asked persistently, bringing Oikawa’s short attention span back to reality.

‘ _Oh my god he’s literally shining_ ’  
Oikawa thought, his mouth not corresponding, his mind the very definition of blank. His body felt like it couldn’t function, like everything had to be put on hold the literal moment he laid eyes on this gorgeous being. The man that stood before him took a long, patient sip from a cup of coffee, just staring at the secretary expectantly.

When Oikawa opened his mouth and instructed it to move, it was more or less a tragic catastrophe. As though his brain had overheated, and his voice of reason had chosen to crash and burn. It was a combination of his inner and outer thoughts, “HE’S REALLY HOT”, and, “CAN YOU BE QUIET?!” and just mashing those two together was obviously the better and obvious option, according to his brain. He could just feel people begin to stare, and his body sweat under pressure.

“CAN YOU BE REALLY HOT?!” Oikawa blurted out loudly, his voice seeming to reach no sound-boundaries. Iwaizumi choked on his mug of coffee, almost spitting out the liquid in his mouth before covering his mouth with his hand as a precaution and swallowing it quickly. Tooru panicked. That was not what he had come here to say, after all. He had turned up to get them to stop, shut-down and pack up so he could return to work as normal. But now, after seeing him, Oikawa wasn’t even sure how he felt about the construction site anymore. If it meant that this guy was there, part of Oikawa felt like he could get used to the noise. “U-Uh-N-Never-mind!” The secretary covered with a stutter while waving his hands in dismissal, not even taking a second glance as he turned around and swiftly began walking away, leaving the builder stunned. Seemingly, some of the builder’s friends had caught on too, because several puzzled stares were being aimed at Tooru’s direction.

“What?!” The man yelled after Oikawa, who was now jogging away as fast as he could in his work attire. “What was that?! What?”

“I SAID IT DOESN’T MATTER!” Oikawa yelled back in response, tugging open the gate and flinging himself through within a matter of seconds. Thank goodness for the traffic, for once in his life, Oikawa thought. He was able do dash into the building he worked in quickly, thinking of it now as a safe haven as he shoved open the glass doors quicker than he ever had in his entire life. Leaving the construction worker lost, and unable to admit the small, profuse blush spread across his cheeks. He stood there, completely and utterly bewildered, trying to simply comprehend what had just happened. “Iwaizumi? Are you okay? Who was that?” One of his co-workers seemed to ask him, this man was a little less tanned, bearing strong muscles and large, surprisingly soft hands. He walked over and placed a reassuring touch on Iwaizumi’s shoulder, as he responded “Y-yeah, I think? Daichi, I didn’t know who he was at all…” This made the other male chuckle, as he said lightly, “Okay, but get back to work- Our break is soon,”

The split-second Tooru landed on his chair at his desk, he sighed dramatically, burying his face in his palms and groaning in a fusion of disappointment, confusion and annoyance. For someone who was usually so confident, so flamboyant, to be shut down like that so automatically made him feel like a nuisance. What happened? Where did his mind go? It was as though his body had left his soul and ascended to Heaven the minute he had met this mystery worker. He crowded himself under paperwork that covered his head, not wanting to see the light of day for a while, the embarrassment he felt was too much to handle. Sure, Oikawa had been in-love before, but it had never felt as strange as this! However, a knock on his door did grab his attention, and Oikawa slurred in the sorrow of pure rejection, “Come in…” To be greeted by the two people who definitely would not make this situation better: Hanamakki and Mattsukawa. Oikawa mentally sighed a second time, turning his head to watch as they entered through the door, protesting with, “Guys, I am really not in the mood for whatever joke you’re about to tell me. Or prank, to be honest,”

Mattsun and Makki exchanged the smuggest of expressions, holding their hands up in defense, as though they had been caught red-handed at the scene of a crime. “Okay, okay, but, ‘Can you be hot’? _Seriously_ , Oikawa?” Makki scoffed. The secretary’s head snapped up, eyes blazoned with a deathly stare at the two men presented before him, who were both now in hysterics, almost pounding the wall because they were laughing too hard. “How do you know about that?!” Oikawa asked hoarsely in discomfort, knowing all too well that this would get around quickly, and the teasing he would have to put up with was going to last for as long as he lived. “Sugawara called, he mentioned something about you going down to tell those workers to leave? Either way, we knew it was going to be quite the performance, though what an ending!” Mattsun clapped as though a dramatic show had ended, and in truth it had, while wiping overwhelmed tears from his eyes. “We had like, the best room in the entire building for viewing whatever that even was,” Makki added, clearly satisfied by Oikawa’s fit of outrage.

“IT’S NOT MY FAULT! IF YOU SAW HIM UP CLOSE THE SAME THING WOULD HAPPEN TO YOU! I’M TELLING YOU, WHOEVER THAT GUY IS, HE WAS LITERALLY SHINING. THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS IS WORKING NEXT TO US, THIS IS NOT A DRILL,” He exclaimed, almost feeling exhausted from the entire situation itself. Tooru was face down on the desk, basically yelling into it in exasperation.

“So you were hitting on Jesus?” Makki giggled, attempting to calm himself down but failing miserably after his last comment. Tooru couldn’t help but let a small snicker slip, covering his mouth immediately afterwards in denial of giving in to their lame jokes. Makki and Mattsun, being the surprisingly observant people they were, had totally seen it though. It normally ended up this way, as blunt and silly as they seemed on the outside, the pair genuinely cared for Oikawa as a friend deep down and wanted to make him laugh again. Though of course, they could never let the self-centered Oikawa know of these feelings, in their personal opinion he was already far too big-headed for his own good. Mattsun yelled with a dorky grin while pointing at the secretary gleefully, “Ahhh, we got him! We got him Makki!”

“Alright, alright, you got me!” Oikawa laughed in defeat, his smile a little bit brighter, a little bit livelier. The secretary allowing himself a giggle before continuing, “But, in all seriousness, don’t tell anyone about what just happened! It would ruin my perfect image,” As he said this, his glance flickered to Sugawara’s office, inside he could see Koushi working away, unmindful. It wasn’t as though he were well and truly mad at the fellow secretary, if anything this was the sort of relationship they had with each-other. And for exactly that reason, it meant that Oikawa had to figure out a way to get back at Sugawara, fast.

“That’s some BS right there, your ‘ _image_ ’ was ruined long ago,”

“So mean!” Oikawa wailed, kicking off like a child as he pretended to pound the desk with his fists in a playful manner. Teasing was part of the everyday life at these offices, along with small, shady blackmailing too, and Tooru often liked to take it as though he were a kid from preschool. He would pretend to cry and sometimes whine, and then after all that, simply burst into laughter along with whomever was near him to witness the scene. As adamant as the brunette was, when it came to comedy, Oikawa was the type to laugh ten minutes after the joke had passed.

* * *

 

The very next day, the secretary was in his office feeling a little impatient, if not bored out of his mind entirely. Paperwork was just too demanding in the heat that shone through his window, yet Oikawa couldn’t find the will power to actually go and pull down the blinds. No phone-calls had come through today either, and Ushijima wasn’t scheduled for any meetings or visitors until the next week. So instead of actually sorting though files like he could have been, like he probably should have been; he let himself sprawl out on the sofa, a fan blowing wind onto his hair as it rotated. The feeling of the cool wind rushing over his face every once in a while was one of Earth’s smaller treasures, in Tooru’s opinion, and nothing was better than sitting in the sun’s light while it happened. While laying on his stomach, Oikawa was generally watching the commotion down below. Being thirteen floors high meant you could see pretty much most things within your surroundings, including the people that walked past on the pavement. He wondered if he should pay a visit to one of the other buildings, it wasn’t like had anything else to do. Looking over at the smaller glass building to his right, Oikawa considered saying hello to Yaku, Akaashi or Kuroo, maybe even all three. Although Akaashi was sometimes strict on visitors when work piled up, so that might be a problem. His focus then moved on to Tsukishima’s building, where Sugawara worked alongside the likes of Nishinoya, Ennoshita, Chikara, Narita and Kageyama. His face turned foul at the thought of Tobio-chan, his underclassman in the workplace.

Kageyama was someone who worked with dedication. After joining, he had climbed his way up the ranks so fast Oikawa had honestly been startled by the sheer power Tobio held. Nothing seemed to distract him, not even a single one of Tooru’s prank-calls, nor Makki and Mattsun’s pranks. He was now close to a third promotion that would grant him his own office, and the secretary was partly scared of how menacingly that presented the employee. It wasn’t that Oikawa disliked Kageyama because of who he was, he was more scared of losing his hard-earned position to someone else. It could’ve been anyone, really, but Kageyama was the clear threat.

Nonetheless, seeing Yahaba come through his office door was like a walking second nightmare. “At least knock,” Oikawa muttered grumpily, if not extremely tired. Yahaba just keeps walking, he came here for one reason only- and it was not to be sassed by the likes of Oikawa. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Just be thankful I haven’t told anyone about your incident yesterday,” Yahaba mutters, almost as a retaliation to the brunette’s snarky comment. He walks further into the office, making his way around the desk at the back wall, to sit down at the edge of the sofa Tooru had flung himself onto earlier. Shigeru looked down, partly in disappointment, at one of the biggest brands’ own secretary procrastinating- ‘because of the heat’.

“So what brings you to my rather fabulous domain?” Oikawa asked with a rather half-assed smile, gesturing round to the decorations he had put up over the years of working at the office. It had been a progressive thing,sneaking a large pot plant in one day to then realize that Ushijima was oblivious, unaware, even. Which only made Oikawa slowly install more features into the once incredibly basic room, it almost felt more daring with each item. Yahaba noticed there were a lot more customized pieces in here than he previously remembered, even though his last visit was only two or three weeks back . One new addition was a fluffy white rug in the center of the room, it lay atop the marble floor, Heaven forbid any stains found their way onto it. Another interesting, or more comical detail to the office was the absolutely ginormous stack of magazines, each varying in brand and style. The stack was shoved next to the left side of his desk, so that when visitors came in they wouldn’t see it at first glance, and so Oikawa could pretend it wasn’t there. Although, from the sofa Yahaba gained a perfect view of the pile that almost reached the height of the table itself. It wasn’t like the magazines were something shameful, but they weren’t exactly the most professional. In honesty, nothing about Oikawa screamed professional other than his dedication to style.

“I figured you’d need some cheering up, being your sad and sorry self. Clearly I was right.” Yahaba commented after a minute of thinking, patting Tooru’s legs encouragingly, because they were the closest part of Oikawa to him. The secretary sat up, sitting on the sofa properly with Yahaba while staring out the window, slightly exasperated with the whole situation. It was tormenting, invading all his thoughts and every crevice in his mind. All he could think about was the man from yesterday, and it just wasn’t fair, because surely the builder wasn’t feeling the same. The brunette was supposed to make other people feel like this, he wasn’t supposed to be affected by it at all! It only made Oikawa want to bury in sorrow and self-pity more.

“Makki and Mattsun have been spreading the news about your, I quote, ‘Jesus Fluster Fail’, yesterday,”

“ _Assholes_ ,” Oikawa muttered ever so lightly under his breath, as though he were keeping the biggest secret.

“But you love them really, there’s no denying that. I’m sure they mean no harm by it,” Yahaba smiled, knowing well that Tooru truly loved his friends no matter what he said. When it came to friendships, the secretary was a passionate person and very, very loyal to his people, as stupid as he may seem on the outside. Oikawa was extremely childish, but deep down he was more mature than anyone in their building.

“I told them not to say anything!”

“But did they actually say they wouldn’t?”

“N-no…”

“You know better than anyone else what they’re like with loopholes.”

“I know, I know… I was so embarrassed I hadn’t even realized,”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yahaba gets persuaded (forced) to come and spectate over the construction workers by Oikawa, the now office version of Satan in Shigeru's opinion.

It wasn’t long after this that Oikawa regularly sought out Yahaba, the younger office worker from his unit. Him being someone Oikawa now considered a good person to spill all these varying thoughts about ‘ _construction-worker-chan_ ’, whenever Sugawara was unavailable to pick up his pestering, gossip-filled calls. This surprisingly didn’t happen too often, but often enough to keep the poor shorter boy on edge. After reassuring him and raising his hopes the day following Tooru’s complete and utter failure, Yahaba was quick to realize the mistake of comforting such a relentless secretary. And oh how he recalled the days where he could work as a subordinate to Oikawa in peace, never bothered all that much while he worked away.

But now Yahaba found himself being required to calculate his every move if he wanted even a few hours’ quiet. Going to the break room was trouble enough when he didn’t know where Oikawa could be hiding. Although, he did purposely go whenever the secretary had just returned to his office, and was able to tell because of the door to Tooru’s space in front of him. Oikawa usually shut his wooden door when he was absent from his office, leaving it open purposefully while he was inside so as to seem open for visitors, which he practically always was. This was one out of the millions of quirks Tooru held, and it’s not like they weren’t that easy to pick up on, either. Anyone who knew Oikawa well would be able to list at least five or six strange, yet well-justified habits he adopted.

Yet there had been a few occasions on which Yahaba had gotten caught sneaking about- only to be whisked away by the dreams of a captivated secretary and his desiring heart. And just this one time, Yahaba found himself being tugged into Oikawa’s office rather forcibly. Tooru looked back at him every so often to check his grip on the man was still steady while the two scurried through the offices. Though Yahaba wondered why he felt it necessary, as the strong hold meant that there was absolutely no way for him to free himself.

“Oikawa? What’s going on?” Yahaba asked, maybe a little too loudly, as his voice drew some unwanted attention that lingered as they sped by. Oikawa was someone who had what the office liked to call “ _Ignorance-by-convenience_ ”, a situation where Tooru would pretend he couldn’t hear, or simply hadn’t bothered to listen, for his own benefit. This frequently came up in conferences; Ushijima was quite used to it, and often sent double emails, triple if they were marked with importance, to make sure his secretary at least took a look. Yahaba was tempted to repeat his sentence for this exact reason, before being abruptly interrupted; wanting to make sure the secretary could actually hear his startled tone.

“ _Hush_ Yahaba! You can’t disrupt the workers!” Oikawa scolded him with a smug grin, pressing a finger to his lips. It was ironic, Yahaba thought, for Tooru of all people to be telling him this. He was the one who had dragged him from the hallway without saying a word, disrupting him from his own job. Shigeru could really only sigh as Oikawa pulled the door open with a spring in his step, basically flinging the pair inside- which resulted in Yahaba being very unsteady on his feet for a few dizzy seconds. He hoped with all his heart that Ushijima wouldn’t take this time off of his pay check if he found out.

Bent over, hands on his knees, Yahaba looked up in mild frustration. “What-what could possibly be so important that you had to- to drag me from my work?” He panted, steadily regaining his lost breath from the sudden run. Oikawa had walked past after shutting the door behind him, standing by the window as he turned to meet Yahaba’s glare. His delicate hands were traced against the glass while he turned to face Yahaba, listening to the younger one.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Oikawa asked, his expression presenting nothing but pure and innocent confusion.

“Don’t play dumb with me! You dragged me here all of a sudden without warning! And for _what_ exactly?!” Shigeru enquired, exasperated as he shook his head in disbelief. This guy really was something else.

“The construction workers outside, Yahaba! I didn’t tell you?”

“No! You didn’t say a word,” Yahaba replied, a little huff of laughter and a small smile wavered as he spoke. In truth, nobody could really stay mad at Oikawa- he was just too likable once you had earned his friendship.

“Ah, sorry… I guess all I have in my head right now is mystery-kun outside,” Oikawa said with a light chuckle, his reaction telling Shigeru that he was being truthful, and that Tooru _literally_ couldn’t think of anything else these days. Yahaba could only roll his eyes at the pet names Oikawa had come up with, and the fact that as he spoke them the words always parted his mouth with a little look of adoration.

Yahaba stood up properly, walking over and standing beside his senior so that he could follow the taller one’s gaze. Whenever Tooru looked out the window, specifically at the construction site he used to detest so much, his eyes seemed to inherit the light as its own. They would sparkle at the sight of this man, a man the secretary had clearly fallen head over heels for, but it was like nothing Yahaba had ever seen before. For someone who was almost aggravatingly loud, whoever it was down there could stun Oikawa to silence within mere seconds. Shigeru almost found it scary; the way love could change even the likes of Tooru was baffling. “You should start focusing on your work with that same level of interest,” He laughed, and giggled a little more as Oikawa tutted in response.

“For someone who works under me, you sure do like to make fun of me a lot. I could fire you,”

“Should I make fun of the aliens too?”

“That’s rude, Yahaba. Now be quiet- I think their break is starting,” The secretary’s eyes were now flickering, partly frantic, trying to figure out where his beloved construction-worker-chan had wandered off to in the time he wasn’t looking. They scanned the frames of a building, around the clusters of materials until finally settling on a handsome man below. He hadn’t actually seen the guy Oikawa spoke so endearingly about before, and looking at him now almost made him want to laugh- this guy seemed anything but Tooru’s taste. His face was stern, his body extremely well-built, skin tanned and hair flecked with sweat. Was Oikawa _really_ swooning over somebody like him?

Yahaba turned to leave, clearly uninterested in hearing Tooru gasp and squeal and make some unnecessary comment every 0.3 seconds. He could be catching up on work in this wasted time.

Though he found he was unable to move as a tight hand caught his arm, swirling him back round to face the window- leaving Shigeru disoriented yet again. Oikawa turned away for a split-second to plead with the man, “C’mon Yahaba, live a little and admire these cute boys with me! Though I’m faithful to construction-worker-chan, there’s no denying they aren’t all pretty well built,”

He faltered for just a moment, and that moment was more than enough for Oikawa to direct the younger one’s gaze downwards and onto the scene below. A little area in the construction site had been left untouched, and placed on the ground was a small log- he guessed it was mainly used for people to sit on during breaks. Tooru’s beloved-kun was being handed a can of diet coke, seemingly fresh and cold, as he leaned against a newly built wall. Wearing a snap-back backwards, no shirt and some teasingly low trousers, Shigeru turned and Oikawa already looked like he could burst- hands pressed against the window.

Yahaba looked back down, his eyes now glancing over at the person who gave out the diet coke. His hair was extremely short, blonde with two black lines either side of his head. Yahaba mused at the rather odd haircut, not able to admit to himself that it wasn’t actually that bad. This supposed co-worker was also shirtless, his skin slightly less tanned and his arms only a little less muscular compared to mystery-kun. But Shigeru sort of liked it that way, he looked a lot more like a normal person but still athletic enough to be considered hot. Don’t be mistaken, though, he still had an incredible body. It was just such a shame that he was facing the wrong way… If only he would turn around so Yahaba could study his abs- maybe his face, too…

* * *

 

“What’re you doing?” Asked Kyotani, who wondered why Iwaizumi had been staring off into the distance for so long. Hajime wasn’t one to sit down for a long time and rest; usually he would be up before anyone else to begin work again. And Iwaizumi never used to hang out here, either, when he was eating lunch or taking a break it was always around the others. But as of late, Hajime was the last one to begin work again, and was barely able to be found during lunch.

“Teasing my new friend,” Iwaizumi replied with a smirk, nodding in the direction he was looking at while opening his can with a _pop!_ and a _fizz_.

“New friend..? Oh…” Kyotani’s voice trailed off as his eyes were met with the sight of two men, one basically compressed against the window while the other looked unsure as to how he felt about the entire situation.

“The taller one has been watching me for a couple days straight- it’s weird but really cute- The other one is new, though,”

“Don’t you find it a bit creepy?” Kyotani questioned further, trying to get a good look at the pair in the office buildings discreetly. He wasn’t really concerned about the man Hajime seemed interested in, but was still deciding on the other boy to the right.

“No, not really. Kinda used to it- like I said, it’s cute. He’s sorta cute. But he’s not allowed to know I think that,” Iwaizumi met Kyotani’s eyes and shrugged with a kindhearted smile, “You don’t have to be secretive about it either, I think he likes it when I notice him,” Kentaro nodded at this, turning around properly and meeting the smaller man’s gaze. In truth, he actually looked a little sweet. For someone who wasn’t interested in the likes of romance, Kyotani was surprised when heat rushed up to his face from the stare he was receiving.

* * *

 

_Wait… Is he…_

_Is he…?_

_He is!_

“Oh my God he’s staring back at me,” Yahaba blurted out in a small whisper, one hand now reaching up, his fingers warming even more when they touched the glass. Now that the construction worker had turned around, Shigeru could see his face properly. His eyes were dark, with creases, but when they met Yahaba’s hazel ones he felt like they melted into something softer. His face looked a little scrunched up, with some cuts here and there- Yahaba was totally getting the “Bad-guy” vibe radiating off of him, and it filled him with some sort of exhilaration. Picturing himself being the only one to meet this man’s softer side, like one of those clichéd rom-coms- could he already be swooning? Yahaba felt so stupid for staring so obviously, Hell, the worker below was staring right back at him. But despite all that Shigeru still didn’t want to look away.

Kyotani gave almost a small wave; it looked more like a nod in his direction, but whatever it was- Yahaba freaked out.

“HE W-W-WAVED!” Yahaba yelled, stuttering, every part of his body felt hot. To be caught staring was one thing, but directly waved at, nodded at, to be noticed? That was something else entirely. The younger one scrambled about, flustered, not knowing what to do as he backed away from the window. He leant up, pulling the blinds down suddenly as though it would protect him, Tooru yelped when it came shuddering down, jumping back in surprise. The room was enveloped in a significant darker lighting, and the pair inside the offices looked back at each other in silence for a moment.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Oikawa asked, confused and partly shocked. Usually Yahaba was quite calm, and so this sort of reaction was something he definitely wasn’t expecting.

“I PANICKED,”

“SO DID I,”

“YOU DIDN’T SEEM WORRIED AT ALL!”

“I WAS CRYING ON THE INSIDE, YAHABA, ON THE INSIDE,”

“THEY CAUGHT US STARING,”

“YOU THINK I DIDN’T NOTICE?”

Yahaba was sitting on the floor now, knees drawn up to his chest, head in his hands. His entire face was burning, his ears were redder than they ever had been and his body generally felt anxious all over. In some ways he felt like now he could relate to the unending embarrassment Oikawa felt when people brought the “ _Jesus fluster fail_ ” up. He also felt the same overwhelming desire to ramble on and on about exactly how flawless his own mystery-kun was. “That was so embarrassing, I want to die,” He muffled through his hands, words practically inaudible, but Tooru still understood them.

Oikawa laughed quietly, teasing him greatly with, “I didn’t know that was the kind of guy you were into, Yahaba. I’ve never seen him up till now, too,” He gave Yahaba a playful shove, but the smaller one felt so unsteady he was almost knocked over entirely. “You must be meant for each other~” Oikawa chimed in a sing-song voice, his grin wide and cheeky.

“Ah, just don’t say a word about this to anyone! It’s so embarrassing,” Shigeru whined, peeking out between his fingers to look at Oikawa for confirmation in his plea. He felt like he had committed a crime, and Oikawa was the Judge who would decide his fate. Tooru, however, was only sitting across from him with a shitty smile and folded arms, an expression that said he knew exactly how Yahaba felt and was totally gonna use that against him. After all, a similar situation happened to him not so long ago, in which Makki and Mattsun spread word to basically everyone.

“Don’t worry! I, Oikawa Tooru, your beloved senpai, will be sure to keep this a secret between the two of us!” He declared, a finger pointed in the air while his other hand rested on his hips, he looked as though he had just made an astounding discovery.

“Why do I feel discouraged by that?” Yahaba huffed, pressing his shirt down with his hands out of habit, before heaving himself up off of the floor. Although it was more difficult to see, the light outside still seeped in through some areas, so Shigeru was able to locate the string for the blinds easily. He pulled at it, slowly allowing the block of light to creep its way across the entire room. Yahaba looked down to see the construction workers below; they’d dispersed now, clearly getting back to work. Mentally sighing in relief, he thanked whichever angel above that had blessed him so that he didn’t have to face those men a second time just yet. When the sunlight met Oikawa’s eyes, he hissed in response, making Yahaba purse his lips so as not to let out another laugh at the overreaction.

* * *

 

Of course Tooru wasn’t going to tell anyone, but Sugawara Koushi wasn’t exactly just _anyone_ , either.

“Kou-chan! Yahoo~” Oikawa greeted the fellow secretary with a charming smile, the phone held between his shoulder and his ears as he filed his nails carefully. Being at a boring office all day meant you had to think of lots of creative pastimes, after all.

“Tooru-chan! You should have called sooner- Tsukishima’s been putting me to work recently, it’s so hard,” Sugawara whined, distressed as he leant back in his chair, sighing. His feet were up on his desk after a tiring day spent taking notes in a two hour long conference. It was apparently about something important, but in honesty Sugawara had stopped taking notes towards the end of it. But he wasn’t to blame, taking notes was just too tedious! And to make matters worse, right after that Tsukishima decided it was the perfect time to go through their stock- the one job that Sugawara just could not do. It _took_ too long, _felt_ too long, and Koushi had to stand there _way_ too long. Why couldn’t he have just welcomed some new trainees instead? He loved doing that, bringing new and inspired people in and training them, teaching them- not the mention the fact that Suga generally had a knack for caring for others.

“I’ve got the best little thing to tell you, Kou-chan, you really won’t believe it-“ Oikawa took a little breath, leaning over his desk and glancing outside to look at the construction workers below, “-Yahaba-kun, you remember him, right?”

“The brunette who works under you?”

“Right! Yes, well, he has a massive crush on one of the construction workers down there! It was so funny, Kou-chan, he got so embarrassed because they saw him staring, it was too good!”

“Tooru-chan, you’re such a bad secretary!” Sugawara giggled, his fingers gently pressed to his lips as he laughed. Though what he said would have sounded like an insult, and the fact that Oikawa was laughing along with him was even weirder, it was actually a compliment between the two. Something they both considered a hilarious, yet sweet, thing to say- and it was genuinely taken to the heart.

“But seriously, who do you fancy? There has to be at least one that’s caught your eye,” Oikawa pressed, hoping to gain some information to use against Koushi in the future, almost as retaliation against what he had done days ago.

“Mm, I don’t think so. I won’t let it distract me from my work, unlike _some_ people,” Sugawara smirked, though he was unaware of Oikawa’s scheming, he still wasn’t going to tell Tooru either way. In truth, nobody down there had caught his eye- no matter how many times he looked, how many times he searched for maybe something, someone, anything. He wanted some romance, something to hope for, but none of them seemed right in a way. Koushi often wondered if he was being too picky- he’d had relationships before, sure. But now he was looking for someone who would give him butterflies the minute he saw them. Only yesterday had he finally given up his search, deciding to fill his life with the usual routine of work while cheering Tooru on from the sides. Although, he couldn’t help sneaking a few hopeful glances here and there.

Oikawa rolled his eyes at the response he was being given, mentally praying that Sugawara would actually find someone- and fast. The secretary needed revenge on Koushi as quickly as possible! He already spent most of his time, whether procrastinating or on break, either fawning over the construction worker. But when he wasn’t doing that, the secretary sat at his desk, scheming his revenge. He almost felt like an evil master mind of an anime, but Oikawa had decided he didn’t want to be the bad-guy. Instead he was the super-hero, and this time he was taking revenge for his dignity.

Besides, it was so unfair that he had to suffer with his unrequited love while Sugawara could admire them all, still immune to any feelings that might wander. Whenever Tooru even took a glance at mystery-kun his heart would spiral out of control, and even though he had Yahaba to suffer with him now, Oikawa still wanted to drag his gossip-buddy into the mix. At least, that’s what he thought, anyway. “That’s so boring, Kou-chan! Just pick one or something; I want to hear about your romantic struggles too! Being in-love is so frustrating!” He whined at the last part, sounding as distressed as ever while slamming his hands down on the desk for impact. Though he didn’t want to admit it hurt him a little, and that his now-red fingers were stinging, Tooru couldn’t help but let an “ _O-ouch_ ” slip.

Sugawara was quiet on the line for only a moment, his lips sealed shut to hold back a smile, maybe even a snort of laughter. Drumming his fingers, he looked out the window and located Oikawa, before concluding in a dead-pan voice, “You just hurt yourself, didn’t you,”

Tooru didn’t even have to look out to know that Suga was wearing that stupid expression that said he was right, and he knew exactly what had just happened, and that Oikawa should just give in already. “S-so what if I did?” He muttered defiantly, looking down at his palms as the red faded to a pink, and the rush of the stinging, tingly pain softened. He could now hear the silver-haired boy’s deafening laughter howl down the phone, Koushi rocked back and forth on his squeaky chair while swinging his legs about in his hysterics.

Oikawa scowled, yelling in indignation, “You keep laughing at me! When will it be my turn to laugh at you?!”

But his voice cracked on the last word and soon they were both laughing at Tooru’s mistakes.

“Stop doing stupid things, then!” Sugawara retorted, all the while holding an unfading smile on his pretty face. His grin had stayed like this for so long his cheeks were beginning to hurt, and his dimples were as prominent as ever. Oikawa wasn’t even sure why he was laughing at this point; everything just seemed far to ridiculous. Their laughter died down slowly, as though it was disappearing from their features, and Sugawara sighed in content. “You know I love you though, Tooru-chan,” He reminded the other secretary, his gossip-buddy and his friend.

“I know, I love me too,” Oikawa said in total sincerity, before bursting into fits of giggles again, this time unable to control his hysteria. Not even after a few minutes did he stop his lonely sniggering, leaving Sugawara with no choice but to simply hang up.

* * *

 

It was now officially summer, even though only a week had passed since Yahaba had fallen for the blondie down at the construction site. Heat was now the norm for the upcoming months, and Kyotani was certainly feeling it. Working shirtless was now a part of their uniform, otherwise they would be heading home with shirts stained with so much sweat it could be considered an entirely new colour. Building throughout summer was like living in a personal Hell, sent to build whatever it was they were currently supposed to be constructing. Kyotani couldn’t be bothered to check- he just did whatever Iwaizumi told him to. They had spent about a week and a half at the new site now, and it had been totally boring so far, he had covered every inch of the painfully smaller site than usual. Their work conditions weren’t that bad, but the actual constructing took some labor, not to mention every metal bar he touched was absolutely boiling. Kyotani was considering buying a pair of gloves to protect his hands, but not the mitten kind; they would have to be leather, maybe finger-less.

That wasn’t even the worst of it, though. Whenever his break began, occasionally when he found himself doing a job that was overly taxing, Kyotani could practically feel those sweeter eyes burn into him. Since he saw the office worker at the window, there was no ridding him from his thoughts, nor from seeing him, either. He had come to learn that the brunette was always on the same floor as Iwaizumi’s friend, and that they often appeared while everyone was on break, though the one Kentaro was interested in didn’t appear as often. Secretly, Kyotani would look out of the corner of his eye, always checking, always keeping note as to whether Yahaba was still there. And he’d learned his name somewhere along the way, too, fallen for it as quickly as he had fallen for the guy himself.

Hajime had come up to him one day while he was hammering a few nails in, whispered the word that sounded like a treasure.

Iwaizumi had told him about the rumors going by, this ‘Shigeru Yahaba’ who worked in the offices and had a major crush on Kyotani. He was also told how surprising it was, someone so moody and temperamental to actually be liked? Ridiculous! But even still, Hajime gave him a friendly slap on the back and some encouraging words, and was predictably ordered to get back to work.

Yet it had surprised Kyotani that he could have thoughts so sweet, or maybe that there could be someone so precious. Kentaro liked to think he was stoic and cool, but by just looking at Shigeru he felt like someone had seen all of him with just one look, one glance. And these feelings were new to Kyotani, but it wasn’t like he hated them. Every time he saw Yahaba at the window, his confidence would grow instantly, and those weird feelings grew more and more noticeable. Kyotani liked these feelings, however, and he also liked the effect Yahaba had on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yahaba is office ##teammom protect him


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo explores the construction site to see what all the big fuss is about and meets... Well, you'll find out.

In Kuroo’s own opinion he felt like this was something _very wrong_ , and what he was about to do should never have even been considered. However his heart, and the deviously persuasive part of his mind, clearly thought otherwise. Battling with his reasoning had been one thing, but being on the verge of losing his right of mind seemed to be new. Tetsurou chose to blatantly ignore these mental conflicts, pressing on with the current mission at hand: _Figure out why Oikawa and Yahaba were so suddenly very interested in the construction workers below._

Being close to Tooru meant that Kuroo knew a fair amount about him- they were co-workers, good friends, went out to the bar sometimes and had a drink now and then. Often they would get tipsy, if not a little too drunk for a working day. Hailing a cab was something they took in turns, yet calling in sick the morning after was a joint effort. And so obviously the black-haired boy was well informed about the secretary’s working standards, his passion to being almost a cheesy type of cute when he was sitting at his desk. It was something Oikawa put effort into, and his goal of being the best- and most adorable- secretary out there was clearly what he strived for in the workplace. It’s not like anyone could ignore it, either, but it wasn’t a bad thing most of the time. Seemingly it made Oikawa appear a lot more cheery than he could be, and at the very least more open and preppy.

So what had changed his opinion so quickly? These days Oikawa’s attention seemed to drag, as though it were always occupied by something else. Being on the phone with him was practically useless, and though his chirpy tone and annoyingly charming attitude seemed to kick in on automatic, it was like Tooru wasn’t actually there, and some imposter had taken over the phone line. To make matters worse, Kuroo found he was hardly able to get a response over email, too. He prayed in sympathy for Mr Wakatoshi, who most likely had to deal with this on an even bigger (and more horrific) scale. Being the secretary of the boss of one of the world’s biggest sports brands didn’t seem to faze Oikawa at all- and lately it seemed whatever was holding his attention was ten times more important than his job.

What had surprised Tetsurou the most, though, was when he walked into their building to check on the brunette and had seen him staring blatantly out the window.

* * *

 

After deciding enough was enough, and that using any sort of device clearly wasn’t going to reach Tooru, he headed over to the main building just before his work-shift began in a matter of agitated seconds. His first place to go was Makki and Mattsun’s office, which only had him leaving within thirty seconds after hearing “AND HIS NAME IS….” “JOHN CENA!- DUN-DUNDUNDUNN,” seconds before he opened the door. He cringed at the pretty irrelevant, dead meme, reluctantly pulling his hand away from the doorknob and swivelling round. If the pair were already making that much noise at 8:30, he worried about how they would act after their morning cups of coffee kicked in.

It was a common fact around the workplace that Makki and Mattsun were avid coffee drinkers- maybe even a little on the obsessed side of things. Everywhere they went, no matter what, they would be seen with a cup of coffee in their hands, as though it were a part of their own bodies. Until it reached 12, the plastic item would remain, untouchable, always refilled until the afternoon hour. Never empty.

To continue with his search for some sort of explanation, Kuroo’s next destination was Yahaba. Arriving on the floor of both his and Oikawa’s offices, he had paced through the lines and rows of desk upon desk, partitioning upon partitioning that separated the mini work-cubicles. Tetsurou was thankful they had nothing like this over in his building, things would have been much harder for him, particularly in trying to climb up the ranks.

Eventually reaching the corridor of office rooms for more of the central, main unit of workers- these were the people who had gained promotions and were now almost like a higher-class in the big building- Kuroo felt as though he could exhale in relief. Each holding their own office, all of which were monitored by Tooru, though his was undeniably the most spacious. The hallway wasn’t all that lengthy, so it didn’t take Kuroo long to find the familiar nameplate that read “Shigeru, Yahaba,” and tap lightly on the door three times. No response. Three times again, slightly harder. Still no response. Three times again, urgent, using more force.

No response. And so Kuroo decided to make his own goddamn answer, pulling open the door with a stern expression, ready to yell at Yahaba for ignoring him entirely. Although, the room was silent, the only sound that could be heard was the clatter of distant keyboards, casual office-chat and the like. Yahaba’s room was neat, as it always had been, but without the boy sitting at the desk like he was usually, everything felt out of place and incomplete.  The only thing filling the room was the flittering natural sunlight, decked out across the entire open area.

“Oh,” Was all Kuroo could mumble out, a little annoyed by this unintentional betrayal he felt upon himself. Tetsurou’s eyes scanned the room once over, turned around, and shut the door ever-so-delicately. It was as though nobody had ever been inside- or had seen him- and he hoped no eyes had been able to take a record of the previous scene. Slightly embarrassed by his own stupid actions, Kuroo decided his next target was the man himself, Oikawa.

Originally, he had hoped to get some truthful information from some of his subordinates- But Makki and Mattsun were clearly out of the question at this hour, and Yahaba was no-where to be found. So Tetsurou’s feet marched along the marble-white floor, looking for that stupid familiar door, with that stupid familiar name blazoned upon it like a grand entrance for a grand king. Kuroo’s day seemed to be full of shock and surprise, as when he reached what was supposed to be an open door to Oikawa’s office, he found it shut with the blinds pulled down on the mini glass window in the centre of the wood.

“ _Fuck’s sake, Tooru..._ ” Kuroo had muttered, the lines under his eyes only highlighting how terribly his morning seemed to be going. The coffee machine in his office had been broken, and Makki and Mattsun were usually strict on the outside-usage of theirs- he didn’t know anybody else in this office, and walking to Tsukishima’s across the street would be such. A. Pain. The blonde didn’t even let him in the building half the time, so he would have to be in a particularly good mood to allow any favours at all.

He took a deep, thought-through breath, rough hands yanking the doorknob down and shoving open the door in seconds that went by too quick for Oikawa to react. The coffee-deprived office worker looked up at the sight before him, evidently pissed, clearly a little antsy, and totally shocked when his eyes wavered to the right- spotting a very defenceless Yahaba. Both of them looked equally as shocked as Kuroo, slightly unsure as to what was going to happen next. Yahaba’s expression was like a deer in headlights, almost considering holding his hands up in the air like a robber caught in the act. But this time the act was spectating thirstily through Oikawa’s window- was that something he could go to prison for?

“So you’ve got some explaining to do,” Tetsurou muttered, closing the door behind him slowly.

* * *

 

And so back to where he was now, sneaking like a member of the FBI around the construction site as he continued to circle it- having been extremely well informed of the power of the hot guys that inhabited the area. In fact, part of Kuroo had regretted asking questions after receiving answers that were far too detailed.

The sun was creeping along his back, crawling so thoroughly it made Kuroo sweat in his work outfit- a plain collared shirt with tight black trousers, a leather belt looped around his waist. Tetsurou liked to think he looked extremely professional in his work clothes, often favouring the smart ties; he loved the way everything fit and hung on his body. Working in the offices wasn’t all that physical, either, so it meant Kuroo could iron his suit and keep it that way for a while.

Right now, Oikawa and Yahaba had been dragged away into a staff meeting- hosting by Mr Wakatoshi. No matter how much Tooru liked to pretend and protest against going, everyone mutually agreed that he secretly loved having all the workers gathered in one place, clearly so he could admire his skill as a secretary. Which, in truth, was outstanding. Oikawa was one to usually go above and beyond in his job when he put his mind to it. Kuroo felt blessed by his luck that he hadn’t been invited for once, though originally offended; he now realized how great of an opportunity this was.

Although, right now, he’d much rather be in the clothes of that group of construction workers across the fence to his right- shirtless, baggy trousers that were stained with dust and dried mud that paired with some variation of boots. Or maybe in the meeting room- they had air-con. Other than the fact that most of the builders were pretty decent-looking, none of them particularly stood out to Kuroo. He could tell which ones Yahaba and Oikawa had their eyes upon, and had drabbled on for what felt like centuries during lunch or at the bar. There was one with black hair, tanned skin with sweat glazed upon it. His build was one of the best out of everyone there- and after further inspection Tetsurou realized he had incredible arms along with a pretty stern face, that seemed to fade instantly when he smiled.

To this guys’ left was one considerably less tanned and slightly smaller man, clearly younger, with black streaks in his seemingly natural blonde hair. He looked extremely grumpy, only perking up when Tooru’s favourite was speaking. In fact, he also appeared to be taking style references from the older male, having mimicked his outfit in a subtle fashion- so subtly that even Kuroo’s vigilant eyes had to double-take to realize. Tetsurou was a little surprised that this was Yahaba’s type, but then again, it wasn’t like he knew Shigeru that personally, so he didn’t really give himself the right to judge.

Either way, it was Kuroo’s mission to learn more before his lunch break ended.

The construction workers were standing in a circle close to the fence, and so the office worker walked up as casually as possible, leaning on his side of the fence as he slid his phone out from his trouser pocket, clearly to use as a decoy. After the usual chit-chat, some really confusing talk-through of the building -with vocabulary that Tetsurou wasn’t even going to bother to decipher- everyone seemed to clear off but the only two Kuroo could pick out earlier.

“…. Strange, he’s not here today,” Kuroo could hear a low voice mutter, instantly he could tell it was most likely the taller, more muscular man talking, the one Oikawa had stuttered in-front of all those weeks ago.

“Maybe they just don’t like us anymore,” The latter huffed, his voice lying thick and irritated, but clearly this was something that bothered him deep down. Tetsurou’s eyes allowed themselves a glance and, yep, he was right. The blonde had folded his arms mid-sentence, both staring up towards what he presumed was Oikawa’s glass window.  Kuroo waited, his fingers sliding across his phone every now and again so as not to raise suspicion, and listened intently while the conversation unfolded behind him.

“Maybe they’re busy or something, they have jobs to do, I guess, they’ll come back for sure, Kyotani.”

“But they’re always there,” Blondie was persistent, he sounded like a whiney teen, Tetsurou mused.

“Well- today they aren’t so we’ll just get back to-“

“He’s at a meeting!” Kuroo yelped, very unintentionally, pursing his lips immediately afterwards.

What were these construction grounds? The minute he had neared the building site his mind had felt so vulnerable, it was as though the very square of reconstruction was bewitched with a curse- and Kuroo had most definitely been cursed by it. Maybe Oikawa had suffered the same thing, because it wasn’t like Tooru to lose his composure either. He hadn’t even looked up from his phone, but he knew those eyes were burning right into his back, and Kuroo’s face reddened in embarrassment.

“What did you say?” The stronger one questioned calmly, hesitantly walking forward. Kuroo could hear those boots crunch into the dry ground, and saw them as he rotated, eyes wandering up and meeting an intrigued gaze. The younger man was following slowly after. “You’re one of those office people, aren’t you?”

“He’s at a meeting- and, yes, I am. Wasn’t really listening into your conversation though. I’m really only here to find out who the guys are that my two friends have been rambling on about. And clearly I’ve found them,” Kuroo gestured to the boys in-front of him, his cover was a part lie, so it was also a part truth- therefore he wasn’t lying really, in that sense. Iwaizumi seemed to instantly understand, and Kyotani was just watching silently, his darker eyes like a judgemental chamber as they flickered from him to his co-worker.

“Well- I mean, sorry to disappoint- my eyes are on that one up there for now,” The tanned man admitted, pointing, yet again, up to Tooru’s window.

“I didn’t come here to ogle you like they do- honestly, I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Then I heard you talking and thought, hey, I might as well let them know why they’re gone.”

“Oh, well, thanks- I guess you’ve heard about us from him? Does he… Talk about me a lot then?” Kuroo could hear every trace of interest in his last line, a tinge of fleeting, desperate hope as his brown eyes looked up at him again.

“You don’t even _know_ man, he won’t pick up his phone, won’t respond to emails quick enough, I had to physically go and remove him from the _goddamn window_ at one point.” He paused, a mischievous grin on his face at the thought of selling Oikawa out to his major crush. Iwaizumi seemed a little taken back by the pure honesty, but the same cheeky slither of a grin tugged at his lips too. He was hung on every syllable that escaped Kuroo’s lips. Tetsurou thought maybe he should soften the blow a little, Tooru could get him fired after all, and so he decided to add,

“But Oikawa’s an amazing worker, really, everyone knows it. It’s why he works in the main place after all- secretary of the big boss and everything,”

“Oikawa, huh.” Hajime seemed to be testing the waters, trying out the name and seeing how it rolled off his tongue, evidently fascinated by it. He allowed himself a couple more tries, promising himself to mumble it more later when he was home. Alone. Nobody needed to see that embarrassing activity.

“He seems like a decent guy, he doesn’t look all that bad, either,”

Kuroo nodded in agreement, replying, “Seriously, he’s nice. And you over there, blondie, you like the smaller one right?” Kyotani’s head seemed to snap up, the snap-back he wore almost falling off his head as he moved- instantly taking a few steps forward while asking,

“You know him, too?”

“Shigeru Yahaba. Sweet guy, works hard, he’s definitely gonna go places. Works under Oikawa. I can find out more about him if you want,”

Kyotani tugged at his hat, pulling it down in an attempt to cover the dust of blush that fell upon his cheeks. Now he knew his full name, and oh God, it sounded wonderful. It made Kyotani’s stomach flip, his mind dance and flitter. “I’m okay… T-thanks,” He mumbled, barely audible, but Tetsurou still got the message and grinned. Kuroo stuck his hands in his pockets, watching as the two males, who had once looked significantly cool, were now mildly flustered over the whole ordeal.

* * *

 

All of them turned at the sound of footsteps, however, and a larger figure seemed to rush closer very suddenly. Tetsurou struggled to see the bouncing blur, but could tell his hair was sticking upwards, as though it defied gravity naturally, filled with white, silver and grey streaks. He was like a camera without focus when he ran, a big body that followed a wide grin, and big, arched eyebrows. Everybody had noticed his extremely sudden arrival, loud booming footsteps that pushed against dry land. Kuroo squinted. He knew this person. Surely. There was something nostalgic about those features, and indefinitely the voice that followed.

“Hey- are you guys ready to get back to- KUROO?!” The man turned, all three did, in fact, and his eyes widened shortly after.

Kuroo looked shocked. Floored. So did everyone else, to be honest. Iwaizumi and Kyotani were silently trying to process the dramatic change in their situation, not really wanting to intervene yet. “ _BO…?_ OH MY GOD! BO! IT’S YOU!”

With nothing else said, Bokuto ran towards Kuroo, beefy arms outstretched, ready to embrace Tetsurou like the long-lost friend he was. Koutarou looked like he was about to tear up and cry, which only made Kuroo laugh loudly at the expression Bokuto dashed towards him with. Warm and friendly arms held tight around him, and Kuroo was almost lifted up off of his feet- had the fence not been in the way- only to be set back down shortly after. The two separated, looking at each other in some form of amazement.

Tetsurou was the first to say something, breaking the happy silence with, “I can’t believe it’s you, Bo!”

“Where have you been, Kuroo? Seriously! We haven’t spoken in years!” His friend replied, one hand placed on his hips. His motions and expressions were exaggerated like his voice, as usual, and Kuroo couldn’t remove the smile that plastered across his face. Bokuto turned back, gesturing for the two previously-forgotten men to come forward. He held a hand against either of their shoulders, introducing them properly, “So, this is Iwaizumi, and this is Kyotani! Guys, here’s Kuroo, friend from high-school and college, great dude, total bro. Beast at Call Of Duty, I must admit,”

“Hello, again, any friend of Bokuto’s is a friend of mine,” Iwaizumi held his hand out with a toothy smile, and Kuroo nodded, shaking it politely. Anyone could tell there was an immediate increase in the brightness Bokuto displayed, if that was even possible. He was usually always confidently smiling, and somehow how his grin was even bigger and bolder today. Kuroo allowed his eyes to linger on Bokuto, noticing those few features that had changed over time, his face looked stronger, he was much manlier, but beneath all that he was still stupidly silly.

Kyotani seemed to just nod, and Kuroo accepted that that was just the type of guy he was- and that was okay. Kuroo knew lots of people- he knew some liked to be loud like Bokuto, and others like Kyotani preferred something quieter. Maybe Yahaba was suited for him after all, he could probably bring Kyotani out of his shell.  Shigeru worked well with difficult people, he could negotiate and have a laugh too.

Tetsurou’s deep thought was invaded by Bokuto’s intense voice, yet again, but it wasn’t something that annoyed him. The booming vocals spoke, “But seriously, big boss wants us working now- breaks over,” as Koutarou turned the pair round, ushering them towards the construction site. They struggled slightly under his strong hold, and so Iwaizumi could only hold a thumbs up and yell “Thank you!” as recognition for the information Kuroo had spilled earlier. Tetsurou laughed at this, and was thankful that Bokuto had landed in a place with good people, and a seemingly decent job.

He had originally been worried sick in the duration of their last semester, Bokuto still hadn’t found a job and Kuroo was heading off to work at the offices very suddenly. Having been high school friends, and then roommates, Tetsurou had always wanted to go off and face the world with his best friend together- like they had always planned. But things had changed, and Kuroo was forced to leave their small apartment sooner than he would have liked to keep the offered job- Bokuto was barely given any warning about it, either, and the two were in a mutual sadness for the other.

But seeing him now, happy, smiling, Kuroo was elated.

Koutarou looked back with that shitty grin, exclaiming, “Don’t be a stranger, Kuroo!” before heading off to his work with a nice mood to keep him going throughout the working day.

* * *

 

Kuroo sighed, breathed out a heave of tensed air and relaxed. Coming over here had been a good idea. It hadn’t been that bad, those two guys were good people. Kuroo was impressed- he had honestly expected them to be the stereotypical dumb jocks, and was now embarrassed for believing ridiculous stereotypes. He proceeded to walk, with fifteen minutes left of his break to kill, and hummed a song in his head as he stepped along the empty street.

To his left, Tetsurou glanced at a small boy crouched down, a red jacket tied around his waist that lightly tapped the floor. He wore a white vest, the same ugly boots as Iwaizumi -yet significantly smaller in size, and a pair of tracksuit trousers. Kuroo’s eyes dragged along his body and slender frame, he looked too small to be one of the construction workers, but the clothes were eerily identical. He had blonde, long hair, with darker streaks at the top that brushed down, the strands hanging around his face, blocking himself out from anyone who passed him in the street. Kuroo was intrigued. What could possibly be so interesting that you stop in the street? And crouch down to see it, no less.

Having not realized he had stopped walking inches before the man, who’s back faced him, Tetsurou redirected himself, walking around the seemingly oblivious boy and crouching in front of him. They were kneeling at the entrance of a dark alleyway; the gap between two tall buildings across the road from the construction site. The other boy looked up, a little confused, before giving him a dazzling tiny smile. His lips were barely curled up, but Kuroo was staring so hard at his face that- how could that not have been even a little grin? Tetsurou was taken back by the tiny action, falling backwards on his bum, hands on the pavements to stop his fall. His face was red, and mortified that an angel had been there to witness it.

His skin was paler than Kuroo’s, only by a slight amount, hair looking soft as ever- Kuroo was fighting some incredibly strange urge to both caress and ruffle it. His eyes were sharp ones, a stunning meld of colours that followed in quick flicks under a low-lidded stare. His lips were small, perfectly pink and oh God, Kuroo had not prepared himself emotionally for this.

“Are you okay?” The sweetest voice had asked him, soft hands reluctantly held out- as though he were afraid of the touch, but not wanting to come across as impolite. Kuroo took it gratefully, savouring ever last nerve that tingled under the smaller palms that pulled him up. Kuroo’s heart was literally palpitating. And there was no way to stop it. He commended Oikawa and Yahaba for being able to stay sane during work, though in his memory he couldn’t recall a moment where they hadn’t been insane for Iwaizumi and Kyotani.

Now realizing what had piqued his interest, Kuroo looked at Kenma, who’s eyes had now left Kuroo and were focused downwards. There was a cat. It was black, green eyes, and it was lying on the floor, purring in delight as Kenma ran his nimble fingers across the fur in delicate strokes.

Kuroo mentally screamed, trying to think of any way to start a discussion with this angel. He looked so adorable; Tetsurou literally struggled to get a word out. “Hey, cute cat- is it yours?” He eventually managed to utter, after three long- and awkward- minutes of silence. Kenma hadn’t seemed to mind it, though, as he replied with no change in expression or sign of discomfort. “No, but it usually hangs out here. I feed it during my break,” The pudding-head muttered, strangely talking more than he usually would with anyone, his face displaying a sort of comfort as he stroked the animal slowly.

“Oh. My name’s Kuroo, what’s-“

“I know- Bokuto yelled it loud enough, it startled me,” Kenma admitted, tilting his head as he leaned, trying to stroke the cat’s chin. The pavement beneath it was dirty, stains from gum, paint and the like. From that, Kuroo guessed he was right, this cutie did work on the construction site and knew Bokuto, of all people. Small world. But then again, Kuroo reconsidered, who didn’t know Bokuto?

“You know him through high school and college, and… You’re a good Call of Duty player?” He continued, reciting all he had heard, eyes meeting Kuroo’s wide ones at his own mention of videogames. Ah, so he was interested by that? Kuroo could only think, noticing the small man look up, his eyes undeniably giving it away- so adorable.

“You like to play?” Tetsurou asked, hoping to get somewhere now, because there was no way he would let this angel go without at least knowing his name.

“I like video games is all…” The other shrugged, hiding beneath his hair. Kuroo wanted to learn more, he craved knowledge about this incredibly endearing being- but discussion and small talk was going far too slow.

“So, you work at the construction site? That’s how you know Bo, right?”

“W-well, sort of… I use the cranes. Figure out the electric and plumbing side of things-“

Kuroo slapped himself mentally for being so stupid. Of course he did the plumbing and electrics- though the cranes came as an interesting surprise. How could he have not noticed?

“-So it’s like a real life video game,” Kuroo finished his sentence with a grin, and Kenma looked up with a genuine smile, and an expression that showed Kuroo more than anything that he understood exactly. Though the expression was short and fleeting, Tetsurou captured it within his mind, and was sure to try and pull out that face and charming smile once more.

“-NMA! KENMA! _HURRY UP!_ WE NEED YOU FOR A SECOND!” Bokuto’s voice had returned to the fence, and immediately Kenma reacted, standing up to abruptly the cat scampered away- causing Kenma to kiss his teeth. Bokuto was calling for him, it seemed, but Tetsurou was registering everything so slow he had barely noticed. The boy turned around, his hair flowing back as he waved goodbye to Kuroo quietly, who was still on the floor,

“He’s calling for me, and I need to head off… Can I... See you again?”

“ ** _Y-Yes_**! I mean- O-Of course,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo's heart is weak for that smileeee


	4. This will continue

Hello everyone ! ♡ 

It's been a while. A long time. Apologies.

School and medical issues have very much gotten in the way of most things, i had to put aside completely the little projects i was working on such as this.

However i have decided that this story will either continue, or I will begin writing another, fresher version depending on the response. I hold @pussycatscribbles' AU too near and dear to my heart to let it go completely. 

To those who continue reading and supporting my story, thankyou ♡ 

Any updates will take place around September and October of this year, 2017, your patience + opinions/feedback are greatly appreciated ☆


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